1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to coated electrosurgical instruments. More particular, the present invention relates to using catalytic particles in a coating layer of an electrosurgical instrument and activating the particles to release charred matter that may become accumulated on the instrument.
2. The Relevant Technology
In the area of electrosurgery, medical procedures of cutting tissue and/or cauterizing leaking blood vessels are performed by utilizing radio frequency (RF) electrical energy. The RF energy is produced by a signal generator and is transmitted to an electrode or tip coupled to a hand-piece, pencil, or electrode holder operated by a surgeon. The electrode or tip delivers an electrical discharge to cellular matter of the patient""s body adjacent to the electrode or tip. The discharge causes the cellular matter to heat up in order to cut tissue and/or cauterize blood vessels.
The high temperature involved in electrosurgery can cause charred matter to form and become affixed to the electrode or tip. The buildup of charred matter can reduce the efficiency of the cutting and/or cauterizing processes by creating an insulating barrier that interferes with the transference of RF energy to the targeted area. By way of example, when cauterizing an are a to prevent bleeding, the charred matter can inhibit the cauterization, cause the destruction of additional tissue and increase thermal tissue damage. Thus, buildup of the charred matter can slow the surgical procedure, as the surgeon is required to remove the charred matter from the electrode or tip.
The application of a fluoropolymer as a coating layer on at least a portion of an electrosurgical electrode or tip has proven to be a valuable asset in providing additional properties to the electrode or tip, including providing a non-stick surface and a high temperature stability. However, while the anti-adhesion properties of fluoropolymers, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (xe2x80x9cPTFExe2x80x9d) or Teflon(copyright), as a coating layer on an electrode or tip has facilitated electrosurgical cutting and/or cauterizing by reducing the buildup of debris on the electrode or tip, it has not completely eliminated such buildup. Accordingly, it would be an improvement in the art to augment or even replace the fluoropolymer coating with other anti-adhesion materials. Unfortunately, it has heretofore been difficult to adhere other materials to surfaces coated with a fluoropolymer having an anti-adhesion property.
The present invention relates to the utilization of a catalyst in a surface coating. More specifically, the present invention relates to using catalytic particles in a coating layer of an electrosurgical instrument and activating the particles to release charred matter that has accumulated on the instrument.
Implementation of the present invention takes place in association with a surface, such as at least a portion of the surface of an electrosurgical electrode or tip that may be used to cut tissue and/or cauterize blood vessels of a patient during a surgical operation. At least a portion .of the electrode or tip is coated with an active catalyst, such as a noble metal, (e.g., platinum, palladium, titanium, etc.) and a binder material, such as a fluoropolymer, to provide a release of charred blood and/or tissue, known as eschar, which accumulates on the electrode or tip during an electrosurgical procedure.
The active catalyst is in the form of micro or nano-sized particles that are mixed with the binder material and the mixture is applied as a coating onto at least a portion of the electrode or tip In this manner, the catalytic particles are located on the outer surface of the coating layer to be in direct contact with any eschar that may have accumulated. An energy source, such as a heat source, a light source, microwave source, or other electromagnetic radiation or energy source cooperates with the electrosurgical instrument to activate the catalytic particles.
The active catalytic particle advance the release of accumulated eschar from the electrode or tip by interacting with the eschar constituents to reduce chemical absorption and/or bonding. The activated particles react with the carbon or nitrogen based materials in the accumulated eschar. As a result, bonds that have occurred between the eschar and the surface of the electrode or tip are broken, allowing the eschar to release from the electrode or tip.
While the methods and processes of the present invention have proven to be particularly useful in the area of electrosurgery, those skilled in the art can appreciate that the methods and processes of the present invention can be used on a variety of different kinds of surfaces and in a variety of different areas of manufacture to yield a coated surface that has desired properties for performing a particular task.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the invention. Further, the features and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.